


(Never Forget) How Wildly Capable You Are

by FreyaAtterton



Series: (Never Forget) How Wildly Capable You Are [1]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Abuse, Action, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Angst and Drama, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Banter, Canon-Typical Violence, Case Fic, Crime Fighting, Crime Scenes, Crimes & Criminals, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Feels, Friendship, Gen, Hawaii, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Original Character(s), Past Abuse, Protective Steve McGarrett, Steve McGarrett & Danny "Danno" Williams Friendship, Team, Teamwork, Violence, Whump, Worried Steve McGarrett
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2020-07-25 11:23:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 10,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20024992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreyaAtterton/pseuds/FreyaAtterton
Summary: What happens when the team is unable to crack a case and the only person who could help rejects them?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first story here and I hope you will enjoy it!  
Also, there’s a murder happening here, so there will be some bloody details. Nothing horrible, really, but I’d like to give a fair warning.
> 
> Disclaimer: no, I don’t own H50.

She tries to fish out her keys from her clutch while she’s walking to her car. The parking lot is dimly lit, so it’s not an easy job. All she can think about is her comfy bed. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to come to the club. But she’s had such a long week and worked so much that she thought she deserved to let her hair down a bit. It’s Friday night after all. She can sleep in tomorrow.

Earlier she was really looking forward to coming here. But then she realized a warm bath and a good book might have been a better way to relax. Partying hard isn’t really her forte, it has never been. But her assistant mentioned she comes here with friends, and she invited her to tag along.

She’s new here and doesn’t have too many friends. Okay, she doesn’t have any friends at all, so she thought she could use some company to let the steam off after a long hard, week. Well, everything had been okay until Gigi and her friends drank way too many cocktails and while they were having fun, she didn’t. Yeah, she shouldn’t have come with her own car, but she had to stay late at the office and she didn’t have time to go home before meeting with the others. And if you’re the only one who doesn’t drink, you’re definitely not the one who has the most fun.

In a few minutes she’s gonna be home, though. The thought already makes her happy. She smiles to herself as she finally finds her keys. Just a few more steps and she can get in her car.

But then someone comes up behind her.

~

It’s a beautiful morning on Oahu, the sun is shining and the air is warm and smells like the ocean. For the plenty of tourists this means another wonderful day at the beach. However, horrible things do happen even on this stunning island. Like murder.

Steve and Danny arrive at the latest crime scene: a parking lot behind the popular club Tropical. A fancy place with colorful cocktails, hit songs and snob guests who arrive with sport cars and don’t mind buying overpriced drinks.

And with a dead girl in the parking lot.

“Man, I really hope it’s not gonna be a complicated case,” Steve scowls. “I would hate to call back Lou from his well-deserved vacation with his wife or call in a sick Jerry.”

Danny just shrugs. He hasn’t said much since they got the news about the murder. It’s very untypical of him, but Steve can’t blame him. He knows every time a girl is killed at a club, Danny thinks of all the times his daughter goes out with her friends. And he thinks of the dead girl’s family who will soon receive the worst news of their lives.

Steve parks the Camaro next to the several police cars that fill up most of the lot.

The two men get out and walk to the body next to a parking truck. The woman is lying on her back; her green dress is ripped and bloody. There’s a lot of blood on her chest and stomach. There are bruises on her arms and legs. Her messy blond hair looks like a halo around her face and her makeup is smudged all over her face. Her eyes are wide open looking up to the sky.

Dr. Noleani Cunha squats beside the body. She doesn’t need to say anything, they already know what happened.

She explains it anyway. “’Morning, gentlemen. The victim has multiple puncture wounds. Cause of death was probably blood loss, but I won't know for sure til I get her back to the lab. I'd put time of death between 1-3 am. Defensive wounds are present, so it looks like she put up a fight, despite the head wound.”

Tani and Junior join them.

“We found her purse,” Junior holds up a zip bag containing a small clutch. “Her name was Emily Hino, she was 31 and worked at a dentist office. Her money and papers were not touched.”

“And did you find a weapon, too?” Steve asks looking around.

“No, the lot is clear,” Junior shakes his head.

“No one saw anything,” Tani adds. “Some people leaving the club at 2.20 am found her. She was already dead and there was no one else in the lot. There was a live band playing til 4 in the club.”

“Have you checked the security cameras?” Danny asks looking sharply at one of the said cameras.

“Yes, but this part of the lot is visible only for one of them. We watched the feed, but this huge truck blocks the view”, she explains pointing at the black vehicle next to them. “We saw a man walking behind the truck and he was hiding there until the victim walked his way. When she walked past the truck, the man attacked her from behind and dragged him behind the vehicle.”

“So we don’t have footage of the actual murder,” Steve states.

“No, a little later the guy walks away, and that’s it. Problem is the camera is pretty far from this area and the quality of the feed is awful. You would think a place like this has money for a better security system,” Tani scowls.

“Or for a guard in the lot or something,” Danny mutters.

“Okay, well, go back to HQ and see if you can identify the man,” Steve says.

“Right,” Tani answers. “But don’t expect too much. The guy was wearing a hoodie and never looked to the camera.”

“Junior, take a look around here, maybe there are other cameras in the area. Stores, ATMs, anything,” Danny says waving towards the street.

Tani and Junior leave. Steve sighs. “Maybe I should call Lou or Jerry.”

Danny doesn’t answer. He just keeps staring at the dead girl at their feet.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I'm back with a new chapter. Enjoy!  
Disclaimer: no, I don’t own H50.

A few hours later all four of them pick at their takeaway lunch at HQ. They have nothing, literally nothing to help with the case, which makes them frustrated.

“Okay, let me sum up,” Steve groans and runs his hands through his hair. “Based on her analysis in the lab, Noleani says Emily was stabbed with a knife. She says there are signs of sexual activity - and it appeared violent. We have no witnesses, no fingerprints, not even on the truck the killer was using for cover. We do have DNA, but there’s no match in the system. We can use only one camera feed, but that practically shows us nothing. Just a guy in a hoodie. There's no suspicious activity on the victim's phone. Her family and friends say she was a nice person, she had no enemies. No ex-boyfriends or love interests. It was a girls’ night, and she didn’t flirt with anyone in the club. Her friends there didn’t notice anything.”

Steve patiently waits if somebody comes up with a new idea, something that they might have overlooked, but there’s only silence.

“Wonderful,” he sarcastically remarks. “We have nothing.”

~

Early the next morning they are all back at HQ, eager to find anything that could lead them to a suspect or at least to a witness. A possible witness would be fine, too; they just wish they found anything at all. Knowing there’s a murderer out there and they are not able to bring him to justice drive them crazy.

They run over and over the little information they have hoping to miraculously find something, something they haven’t seen before. They have no such luck, though.

That’s when an officer, Thia Wong walks in. She goes directly to Steve and hands him a file.

“Commander, I was told to give you this.” 

Steve opens the folder. It’s some paperwork regarding the team’s vehicles. He hates paperwork, especially when they have something more important to deal with. Like finding a murderer for example.

“Thank you, officer.” He turns to her and is surprised to see that the officer completely ignores him. Her eyes are glued to the big screen in front of them.

“You’re working on the case of the young woman killed behind Tropical, right?” she asks, although it doesn’t sound like a question.

"Yeah," Danny answers, eyeing her curiously. 

The officer stares at the screen, studying the evidence they've collected. The whole team is watching her now.

“Maybe I can help,” she says. “When I heard about the case, it seemed like a coincidence. But the crime scene… the timeline… the weapon. Maybe it’s a pattern.”

“What are you talking about?” Steve asks impatiently. “No one mentioned another attack.”

"I worked graveyard on Friday," she begins. "Around 3am a woman came into the station. She was very upset, and it took time to calm her down. She'd been attacked at the Tropical. Maybe around 2am. She wasn't sure. She was walking to her car, when a guy grabbed her threatening her with a knife. He jumped on her, tore her dress. She thought he was going to rape her. Thank God, some people came out of the club, loud and drunk. She used the distraction to get away. She drove straight here." 

“Tani, can you find the report?” Steve asks.

“You won’t find anything,” Thia Wong says shaking her head. The others look at her confused. “We went through the whole process. She told me the story, gave a relatively good description of the guy but in the very last moment, before signing her statement, she changed her mind and decided not to file a report. She got upset again, ripped the papers from my desk and ran out of the building.”

“What?” Danny exclaims. “You let her get away?” 

“I followed her, of course,” the officer continues obviously thinking she needs to defend herself. “But by the time I got to the parking lot, she was already driving off.”

“Do you remember her name?” Steve asks.

“No, I’m sorry, it was a busy night. But when I followed her out to the lot, I saw her getting into a lime green Lamborghini. I doubt there are many green Lambos on the island,” Wong shrugs.

“Let’s hope the car is on her name,” Tani says as she types. Matches appear on the screen.

“That’s it, that’s her!” Wong claims pointing at a photo of a woman in her mid-30s. She has long, dark blond hair and blue-green eyes. Her face looks pale and she looks defiant. She doesn’t look like a carefree girl from the beach.

“That’s Sophia Sullivan!” Tani exclaims with a huge grin plastered on her face. The men look at her as if she has gone mad. “Come on, Sophia Sullivan, the hotel heiress? Nothing?” The men shake their heads. “Don’t you read gossip magazines?"

“Why, you do?” Junior asks back laughing.

“As you can see, it’s useful for the job,” she winks and puts a few articles from local magazines on the screen. “Sophia Sullivan is the only daughter of Jefferson Sullivan, the owner of the Hotel Lokelani.”

“Wait, that guy died like a few weeks ago, right?” Danny asks.

“Correct,” Tani nods. “And Sophia inherited his hotel. Along with his dad’s car, the green Lambo. She was born in Hawaii but when she was only 3 years old, her parents divorced, and her mother moved to California with her. It was ugly, and they never came back. Sophia never visited her dad; I guess her mom didn’t allow it.”

“You guess,” Junior grins.

“Okay, smartass, I read it in one of the articles. A close source told the reporter.”

Her colleagues snicker, but Tani ignores them and goes on. “Anyway, her dad never visited her, either.”

“Said the source? Let me guess, a friend of the family?” Junior interrupts again, but Tani waves him off.

“Shh, genius. So, Sophia’s mother died a few years ago, but that didn’t change anything. Sophia continued to live in LA. Until her father’s death. Then she returned to his funeral.”

Steve frowns but quickly regains his composure.

“And she inherited the hotel,” Tani continues. “Everyone in the industry expected her to sell it, and she received several offers. But despite her lack of experience in both running a hotel and living in Hawaii, she decided to stay and not to sell the hotel. Everyone is waiting for her to fail, so they can swoop in and buy the hotel.”

Steve frowns again and tries to ignore the very unsettling thoughts about why Sophia Sullivan’s story sounds a bit familiar. He knows how hard it is to make up for the past. For time lost with his dad.

He turns to Thia Wong.

“Are you sure this was the woman you met with, officer?”

“Absolutely,” she answers.

“Then come on, Danny, let’s pay her a visit.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the third chapter.   
It's not that long, and there's a tiny cliffhanger at the end, but I hope you'll like it!  
I’d like to thank my amazing beta, Phoebe Miller for the help and support.
> 
> Disclaimer: no, I don’t own H50.

Steve parks the car in front of a lovely bungalow on a nice street. It’s easy to find the house, because there’s a green Lambo on the driveway. There are flowers and well-kept shrubs in the garden and Steve can hear the waves of the ocean. It’s a really nice neighborhood. Not a place where he would picture a hotel heiress, though.

The area would be even nicer if the sun was shining and it wasn’t about to rain.

“Well, Tani says Jefferson Sullivan lived in his hotel, but his daughter decided to rent a house instead,” Danny explains. ”Which means she’s not supposed to stay in Hawaii long and will soon return to LA.”

Steve quirks an eyebrow.

“Not my words, Tani told me,” Danny says raising his hands defensively. “I’m saying that girl should really stop reading those trashy magazines.”

They get out of the car and walk to the front door. Steve knocks but there’s no answer.

“Sophia Sullivan? We’re from Five-0, we need to talk to you,” Steve says.

They knock again, and then peek through the windows. Still no answer. But where is she if her car is here?

“What do you want?” an old and rather unfriendly voice says.

They turn to see an old lady standing at the door of the neighboring house. Her bright red dress looks like a long Hawaiian shirt, and she's wearing flowers in her grey hair. A fat cat purrs from the cradle of her arms. The chubby feline glares at them just like its owner.

“And here I thought Sophia was in her 30s and not in her 70s,” Danny remarks. 

Steve and Danny walk over to the lady’s porch.

“My name is Commander Steve McGarrett, and this is Detective Williams. We’re from Five-0 and we would like to ask your neighbor, Sophia Sullivan a few questions. Do you know if she’s home?” Steve inquires.

“Well, son, can you see her running shoes at the door?” she asks back and looks over to her neighbor’s door herself.

“There are no shoes by the door, ma'am,” Steve shakes his head.

“Well, then she’s gone running again. She goes twice a day, before and after work. I always tell her it’s too much, but she just smiles and tells me not to worry about her. I know she thinks I’m a silly old cat lady, but she runs too much, don’t you agree, son?”

Steve doesn’t know what to say. He can hear Danny giggling next to him.

“And look at those dark clouds,” the woman goes on and Steve gratefully realizes she doesn’t expect him to answer. “She never skips running even when the weather is awful. She’s a stubborn young lady, that much I can say, son. Or maybe she’s just lonely. She has just moved here, you know, from California. She lives alone in that house and she never has any visitors. Even I have more friends than her! I know her father has just died, poor thing. Still.. She lives like a hermit, and that’s not very healthy for a young woman at her age. That much I told the reporters, too.”

Steve and Danny decide not to comment on that, instead they ask her about Sophia’s usual running route.

By the time they get back to the car, it’s pouring.

~

Steve and Danny slowly drive along the beach the old lady mentioned. They search for Sophia, but the beach is empty due to the pouring rain. The sunny, tropical paradise with glistening ocean waves and soft breezes are gone.

Steve parks the car in an empty lot. They survey the coast. This is the end of the beach that serves as Sophia’s usual running route according to her neighbor. So if she isn’t here, then that’s it. 

“I doubt she is out here,” Danny frowns. “I mean no one in their right mind would be out here, not to mention run.”

Steve sighs but then suddenly points at a small figure by the water. “Yet there she is.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a new chapter for you. It's time to meet my OC :)
> 
> I’d like to thank my amazing beta, Phoebe Miller for the help and support.
> 
> Disclaimer: no, I don’t own H50.

A woman is running along the shore, right at the water’s edge. She avoids most of the waves but some reach her feet. She doesn’t seem to notice. With the rain pouring, it doesn’t make any difference anyway.

She wears knee length running pants and a hoodie. She’s quite far; it will take several minutes until she gets to the end of the beach. Or maybe less, she’s quite fast. No wonder she outran Officer Wong the other day.

“Crazy woman,” Danny remarks. “Maybe you should ask her out, buddy, she seems like your type. Loves doing stupid things a normal person wouldn’t do. Like running in pouring rain.”

Steve is already out of the car and jogs towards a small gazebo between the lot and the beach. Danny groans and reluctantly follows him while cursing under his breath. He’s not happy that he is getting soaking wet because of this woman who is fool enough to run in rainstorm. She should be chilling in her house with a nice cup of tea. So that they could talk to her there, while she offers them tea, too.

Instead here he is standing in this damned gazebo and his cold, wet shirt is sticking stubbornly onto his back.

Steve, of course, doesn’t seem to mind getting drenched. He patiently waits there, eyes on the woman getting closer and closer to them. She hasn’t noticed them; her head hangs low in the rain. As she reaches the end of the beach, she turns around to run back, but Steve steps out of their shelter and calls after her.

“Sophia Sullivan? We’re from Five-0; we’d like to ask you a couple of questions.”

She stops and turns back to them stunned and then she follows Steve under the roof of the gazebo. She pulls back her hood. Water drips from her hair and she quickly wipes off her wet face with her hands. Then she looks at them curiously.

“My name is Commander Steve McGarrett, and this is my partner, Detective Danny Williams,” Steve explains.

Before he could go on, she interrupts him.

“How did you find me?” 

‘Hello to you, too,’ Danny thinks to himself. The woman seems so angry. Okay, they have disturbed her training, maybe she has taken that as an offence, maybe she’s training for a marathon or something. But that’s no reason to be this angry. They are all soaked because of her, right?

“Your lovely neighbor informed us about your regular running route,” Danny answers.

“Haya. Of course,” she says and smiles bitterly. Danny can’t decide if she’s annoyed by the old lady or by herself because she should have known it was Haya.

“Miss Sullivan, we would like to ask for your help with a case,” Steve says. “A young woman was murdered two days ago behind the Club Tropical.”

She shudders at the mention of the club.

“Her name was Emily Hino,” Steve continues.

“I don’t know her,” Sophia says quickly. She rubs her arms and looks away. Danny wonders if she feels uncomfortable because of her wet clothes or because of the issue Steve has brought up. Probably the latter.

“Listen, Emily was killed in the parking lot behind the club. At about 2 am. She was stabbed,” Steve says. Danny notices his partner has left out a few details, but Steve must also see Sophia’s growing discomfort. She might run away any minute. Steve would chase after her; Danny has no doubt about that.

“We know that a few days ago you were attacked at the same place. On Friday night, at 2 am,” Steve states.

Sophia looks at them with bewildered eyes.

“How can you possibly know that? I didn’t file a report.” She doesn’t realize she has just confirmed that she was attacked. No, she looks too mad for that.

“And why exactly didn’t you file a report, huh?” Danny asks.

“That’s not your business,” she barks.

“It is, if the guy who attacked you might be the killer we’re looking for,” he snaps back.

Sophia shakes her head and starts pacing in the gazebo. Both men follow her with their eyes.

“This. I didn’t file a report because of this,” she finally states pointing at them. The men look at each other confused. “I didn’t do it because I wanted to avoid this mess, answering questions, going to court, all that shit. It wasn’t a big deal,” she exclaims and it’s not clear who she wants to convince: them or herself. “The guy didn’t hurt me. I got away. I just… I just can’t deal with this, I want to move on and forget it.”

She blinks away some tears and refuses to look at the men. They all fall silent for a few minutes.

“Listen, Sophia, I’m sorry about what happened to you,” Steve starts. “And I understand it’s too much. I promise you don’t have to answer questions if you don’t want to. We won’t drag you into this case, I swear. Just give us the file you took with you, please.”

She looks Steve in the eyes.

“I can’t give you that file, Commander. I already destroyed it,” she says with a cold voice.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a new chapter for you! I'm sorry, I know it's been a long wait but life happened.  
I hope you still remember this story and want to know what happens next.
> 
> I’d like to thank my amazing beta, Phoebe Miller for the help and support.
> 
> Disclaimer: no, I don't own H50.

Steve and Danny get back in the car. Danny slams his door.

“I can’t believe it! I can’t believe she doesn’t want to help us!” he says and touches the side of his head as if a migraine is coming up on him.

Steve doesn’t say anything just turns the key in the ignition. Danny looks at him stunned.

“Don’t you agree with me?” he asks his partner.

Steve just shrugs. “Don’t you remember what Tani and the neighbor said about her? Sophia has just lost her father, her only family, and she moved here for a fresh start. She left Hawaii so young that she has probably no friends here at all. New home, new job, new people. She’s all alone and she has no one to rely on, Danny. And then this assault happened… I think she just wants to make her life easier, that’s all.”

As he drives away, he glances in the rearview mirror. He can see Sophia standing in the rain staring at the ocean. Then she looks up to the sky and lets the rain wash over her face. Probably there are tears that the rain washes away, too.

~

Steve and Danny get back to HQ and inform the others that they are back at square one. Danny and Junior go to get some lunch and Steve retreats into his office to start with the paperwork that Thia Wong brought him. Tani is still going through everything they have to find a new lead, but they all know it’s in vain. All they can do is to wait until something new comes up.

Steve does his best to focus on the papers lying on his desk, but his thoughts keep going back to Sophia Sullivan. She looked so angry. As if she was about to explode any minute. And Steve understands her. After all, he felt the same way when he couldn’t get back to his father in time. He was late and his father had died before Steve could have reconciled with him. Steve had so much to tell him and he had always thought they had all the time in the world. He would go home in a few weeks, in a few months, next year the latest… And then his father died and it was too late to make it good with him. He guesses Sophia now feels the same. And he knows how frustrating it must be.

He also understands why Danny is frustrated with Sophia. Because of Sophia, Emily’s killer might escape. There’s a murderer on the loose, and the only person who might be able to help them said no.

But Steve also understands that Sophia is simply unable to deal with yet another crisis in her life, so she tries to forget what happened behind the club, tries to pretend it never happened at all. It’s definitely not healthy, plus it’s really terrible if the murderer gets away because of Sophia’s problems, but they can’t force her to help. Maybe he should try to talk to her once again, this time without Danny.

“Hey, boss,” Tani peeks her head through the door. “This has just arrived for you.”

She brings in a big brown envelope and puts it down on his desk. Steve looks up at her but she just shrugs. He opens the package and is taken aback as he pulls out a file. It’s from Sophia. There’s no note, just a file. The very same that she took with her from the police station and allegedly got rid of. So she didn’t destroy it after all.

“What is that?” Tani asks curiously and moves closer.

“A lead,” Steve smiles triumphantly.

~

Jacob Seito is enjoying his lunch at a Thai restaurant. The place is cheap and close to the store where he works. While he spoons his beef noodle soup, he looks into the local papers laying on the counter in front of him. Of course the cover story is the same in every paper: **Local Woman Emily Hino Was Brutally Murdered in the Parking Lot behind Club Tropical**. Some write about knife stabs and bloody details, some about her family and job but none of them mentions suspects or witnesses. They write that HPD is helpless.

_Good. No one will ever know what happened. _

Satisfied, he looks into the other news, too. Weather forecast, politics, sports, cultural events, etc.

And then he sees her. The woman who got away from him on Friday night. _Damn her! Damn the drunken fools who interrupted them! _

She is so much more beautiful than Emily Hino was. Emily’s hair was dyed blond, hers is natural. She’s taller and slimmer than Emily was. And her dress was more beautiful, probably more expensive, too. Yes, Emily was only his Plan B; he would have never gone after her if he’d gotten this woman. She was his first choice, Emily was a mere consolation prize.

He is in love with Sophia. Yes, true love, the kind he’s only seen in movies. He knew the moment he first saw her. He has hoped that he would meet with her again, because Oahu is not such a big island. He feared she was a tourist and had already left.

But no. Here she is in the newspaper. She’s come back into his life. Which means that it’s real love. It’s fate.

He reads the title of the article. ‘**Sophia Sullivan Names Hotel Suite after Her Father**’. So here she is. Sophia Sullivan, the new owner of the Hotel Lokelani. He doesn’t care for the rest of the article. All that matters is he now knows where to find his girl.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a new chapter for you! The team is trying to solve the case.  
Thank you for the support! I'd also like to thank my amazing beta, Phoebe Miller for the help.
> 
> Disclaimer: no, I don't own H50.

By the time Danny and Junior get back with the lunch for the team, Steve and Tani are busy finding their possible suspects based on the description Sophia gave Officer Wong. They are watching the security footage from the club. They did this a few times before, but now they know what they are looking for.

"What are you doing, guys?" Danny nonchalantly inquires. "We've got a new case?"

"No, buddy, we're still after Emily Hino's killer," Steve answers not bothering to look at them. "We might have a lead."

"How so?" Danny steps closer now obviously interested.

Steve raises a file from the table while his eyes are still glued to the screen in front of them. "Sophia Sullivan sent us her file."

"Seriously? She said she had destroyed it," Danny says taking and opening the folder.

"Well, she obviously didn't. And Wong was right; Sophia gave quite a good description about her attacker."

The footage ends, and Tani turns to her colleagues. "Okay, so according to Sophia the guy who attacked her has short black hair, dark eyes, is muscular and wore black clothes-"

"Yeah, 'cause there's only one guy on the island, who looks like that," Danny scoffs and tosses back the file on the table.

"-and he has a large tattoo on his left arm, starting at his wrist and going up all along his arm and neck," Tani adds with a grin. "Or at least it seemed so, as he was wearing a hoodie, but she saw it on his wrist and neck. That's a start. Supposing the guy was also inside the club and not only in the parking lot, we found two men with a tattoo like that, they could be our suspects. We ran facial rec and here they are," she pulls up two license photos on the screen. "None of them has a criminal record. On the left you can see Mario Haines, he's a high school teacher and based on his social media accounts, he proposed his girlfriend two weeks ago."

"Looks clean, but it doesn't mean he's not our guy," Junior states.

"And on the right, you can see Jacob Seito. He works at a grocery store close to the club. I couldn't find anything about him, he has zero social media presence," Tani explains.

"Look, guys, I know there are plenty of ifs here, but we gotta start somewhere," Steve points out. "We're gonna check out both of them. Tani, Junior, you go to the teacher. Danny, let's go shopping."

~

The elderly man puts on his glasses and takes a closer look at the photo in his hands. He shakes his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't confirm that it's Jake. This photo is just too-"

"Blurry? Yeah, we know," Danny pouts.

"It might be him. I just don't know for sure. Don't you have a better photo?"

"Do we have a better photo? Of course we have a better photo," the detective smiles. " We just thought it'd be more interesting if we showed you this fuzzy one first."

The man gives a confused look to Danny, then to Steve.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Philips. This is the only photo we have," Steve explains.

"Well, like I said it might be him, might be not. You should to talk to him in person," Mr. Philips states.

"We'll do that. Thank you for your help, sir," Steve says and turns to leave. Mr. Philips, Jacob Seito's boss has told them that a few hours ago the guy took the rest of the day off, so now they need to visit him at home.

"This photo is really bad," Danny states staring at the picture in his hands, while they walk back to the car. He raises it closer to his eyes as if trying to recognize the man on it.

"I know, man. But you saw the security footage. That's the best we have."

"We will never be able to prove it's him."

"Do you have a better idea?" Steve sighs and gets in the car.

Danny thinks for a moment before getting in himself. "Actually, I do."

"I'm all ears, buddy," Steve impassively says and starts the car.

"Well, we believe the man who killed Emily Hino is the same man who attacked Sophia Sullivan a few days before."

"Yes, the two cases are very similar. Except for the ending, of course. And that's why we're using Sophia's statement to find Emily's killer."

"Okay, but this photo… we took it from the footage of the night of Emily's murder, right?" Danny asks. "If the man was at the club at both times, why don't we check the feed from Friday, too? Maybe we could have a better look. Maybe we could even see what happened in the lot, when Sophia was attacked, because I doubt the same truck parked there to block the view."

Steve looks at him with an unreadable look.

"What?" Danny scoffs.

"I'm impressed, detective, that's all," Steve smiles. "I'll call Tani so that she and Junior can watch the footage when they get back from Haines."

But just as he is about to dial Tani's number, her name appears on the phone's display. "Wow, Tani, are you a mind reader? I was about to call you."

"Well, we have just finished talking to Mario Haines and his fiancé," she answers. "It's probably not him, boss. He says he was with a couple of friends at the club that night and they celebrated a birthday. His fiancé was also there. They both claim they left at about midnight because they had to work next day. They say all of their friends would tell us the same. They went home by cab. Junior is calling the company to confirm that."

"Okay, but check with his friends anyway. Seito was not at the store, so we are on our way to his place, hopefully he's home. In the meantime, you and Junior check the club's security footage from Friday, too. See if you can identify our mysterious guy with the tattoo. Check the lot, too."

"On it, boss," she replies. "It's a good idea, we should've thought of that earlier," she adds.

"Thanks," Steve proudly says and ends the call. He can't help feeling a disapproving look burning a hole into him. Of course it's Danny. "What?" he asks innocently.

"You couldn't mention it was my brilliant idea, right? You just couldn't resist taking all the credit."

"We're a team, right? It doesn't matter whose idea it was," Steve shrugs and turns his head to hide a grin.

"It doesn't matter whose idea it was, he says… of course it doesn't matter if it's mine!" Danny exclaims.

"Okay, you want me to call back Tani and tell her? You want that? I can do that," Steve says already reaching for the phone.

"Whatever, man." Danny frowns looking out of the window. "Just drive, you plagiarizer."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fear not, this story is not abandoned :) Sorry for the long wait. I hope you still want to know what happens next.
> 
> Again, I'd like to thank my amazing beta, Phoebe Miller for the help and support.
> 
> Disclaimer: no, I don't own H50.

Jacob Seito sits in his car and smiles. On the opposite side of the street there’s a small café where Sophia Sullivan went into like a minute ago. Seito drove to her hotel after he had recognized her in that article. He was waiting nearly two hours until he saw the green Lamborghini she had jumped into on Friday night, and he followed her. She obviously needed some caffeine as she came to the café right away. A small, hipster place and it’s nearly empty. Unlike the streets in this neighborhood that are loaded with tourists. His best chance is the café.

He gets out of the car, crosses the street and enters the café. There she is standing at the counter, waiting for her coffee to be brewed. Although he can see her only from behind, there’s no mistake, it’s her. She wears a light blue dress, beige heels and her hair is tied into a stylish bun. She’s just as elegant and beautiful as she was on Friday. Now he knows why. She owns a five-star hotel after all, she’s a serious businesswoman.

He supposes she has ordered a fancy coffee, too, something with a long and cool name. Not just plain black coffee. That wouldn’t be her.

Her coffee is ready; she thanks the barista and turns to leave. And she bumps into him.

He gives him a wicked grin that says ‘I’ve found you; you can never get rid of me.’ The terror on her face says she has recognized him and perfectly understood his expression.

Before she could speak or do anything, he shows her what he’s hiding in his hand: a knife. The same one he used to threaten her on that night. Of course she recognizes it, too.

She swallows hard and looks around for help, but he’s too good. He has come close enough to her so that no one else sees the knife, no one knows what’s going on. Not the only barista behind the counter and not the only guests: an elderly couple – Japanese tourists who have probably lost their way and now try to read a huge map in front of them.

“Don’t try anything, baby,” Seito whispers. “Just come with me.”

“What do you want?” she asks terrified. Thank God the music in the café is loud enough and no one can hear them. The barista is busy with the dishwasher and the tourists glare at their map puzzled.

“You. I want you,” he states simply and smiles. “Now, don’t make a scene. You can even bring your coffee with you if you want.”

In that very moment she drops said coffee. The plastic cap falls off and the coffee is turning into a small brownish puddle around their feet.

“What the hell?” Seito exclaims and quickly slips his knife into his pocket as the barista is coming from behind the counter with a mop.

“I’m terribly sorry,” Sophia says, crouching down to pick up the now empty paper cup.

“Don’t worry about it, it happens all the time,” the barista smiles politely. He also bends down to pick up the plastic cap.

“Come on now, we don’t have all day!” Seito says and pulls out his knife just a bit so that she can see it behind the barista’s head. He knows she’ll understand what he means. She’s a smart woman, running a hotel and all.

And she does understand. She quickly gets up. “Right. You’re right. Let’s go.”

“Don’t you want another coffee?” the barista asks her.

“No, it’s alright, thanks.”

Seito grabs her elbow with one hand and guides her out of the café. She goes along willingly.

~

Danny holds a copy of Jacob Seito’s license in his hands. “Do you think it’s him?” he asks.

“I don’t know but I want him to be the guy we’re looking for”, Steve sighs and stops at red traffic lights. “I don’t like the idea of having a murderer on the loose on the island.”

“If our guy is still on the island,” Danny adds.

“Danno, you’re as optimistic as ever,” Steve smiles and starts the car.

Then his phone rings. “Hey, Tani, what’s up?” Steve answers the phone putting it on speaker right away. “Do you have a better photo of Seito?”

“No, not really. But we don’t need that anymore,” she says mysteriously.

“Why, what’s going on?” Danny asks.

“A guy called 911 from a nearby café, he says a man came in and kidnapped Sophia Sullivan,” she sputters.

“What?!” Danny shouts sitting up in his seat.

“What do you mean a man kidnapped her? Who? Seito?” Steve demands.

“Well, a barista told HPD that Sophia, who’s a regular at the café, came in like half an hour ago. Then a man walked to her and told her something. Then Sophia dropped her coffee and when the barista guy cleaned it up, she whispered to him to call 911. Then she left with the man in a hurry. Junior is on his way to the café. In the meantime we asked HPD to show the guy a photo of Seito and he confirmed it was him.”

“But how did he find her?” Danny wonders.

“It’s more important now what he wants to do to her,” Steve states bitterly.

“Probably finishing what he started on Friday,” Tani shrugs and both men frown as their colleague has just said what they knew but didn’t want to say out loud.

“Can we track Sophia’s phone? Or Seito’s?” Danny offers.

“No, HPD already found both phones in a trashcan in front of the café.”

“Okay, did they leave with a car?” Steve asks.

“Hopefully with the green Lambo, that would be easy to find,” Danny remarks.

“No such luck, unfortunately Seito is not that dumb. Witness says they left with a blue, old sedan. I checked Seito, he has a Toyota Corolla. It’s blue and old.”

“Alright, Tani, find us that car. Now,” Steve orders.

“On it, boss.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a new chapter for you! I know it's not that long but at least it's something, right? 
> 
> Again, I'd like to thank my beta, Phoebe Miller for the help and support.
> 
> Disclaimer: no, I don't own H50.

It's not easy to find an unremarkable car during the afternoon rush hours, but Tani checks the traffic cameras starting with the ones close to the café. She spots Sophia and Seito get in the Toyota, and then follows the car along the streets of the city. She loses the vehicle a few times, but just when she thinks she has lost it for good, the Toyota pops up again. A few minutes later she gives a current location to Steve and Danny.

"Seito had something in his hand when they got in the car. Something shiny, maybe a knife," she informs them.

"Maybe the very same knife he used when he attacked Sophia and killed Emily," Danny assumes.

"Is he driving?" Steve asks while speeding through the streets with flashing lights on.

"No, Sophia's driving," Tani replies. "You should see them any minute now."

"I guess that's them," Danny points at a blue car six cars ahead of them.

Steve floors the throttle of the Camaro.

"Hey, hey, hey. What are you doing?" Danny yells as he is pushed back into his seat.

"Trying to stop them?" Steve snaps eyes on the road.

"Nice, but remember Seito has a weapon. And a hostage. And who knows what else. What do you think he's gonna do when he sees us? Let Sophia go and let himself led to prison? Keep dreaming."

Steve opens his mouth to reply but turns off the lights instead. "Fair point," he murmurs and slows down the car. They blend into the long line of vehicles on the road.

"There's too much traffic here, and they're heading out of the city. Let them get to some more quiet area where we have a better chance to end this peacefully. As much as we can," Danny suggests stoically. He has a feeling he needs to be the voice of reason. As always.

Steve hesitates again but then nods. "Okay. But for the record, I don't like it."

"Yeah, I know you would love to drive up next to them and throw a hand grenade into Seito's lap, but let's not lose our temper, shall we?"

"I just hope we won't be too late," Steve sulks.

~

Seito grins at Sophia next to him. Like a kid on Christmas day. She determinedly keeps her eyes on the road, but her knuckles that turn white as she grips the steering wheel give away her frustration.

"You wouldn't believe how happy I am that we can finally finish what we started last Friday," Seito says cheerfully as if he didn't kidnap her but would take her to an expensive restaurant on their second date.

"Not that I had a choice," she mutters bitterly.

"No, you really didn't," he shrugs. "You did have a choice on Friday, though and you chose wrong."

"You mean I should have stayed when you attacked me?" she says and gives him a disgusted look. "What girl in her right mind would have done that?"

Seito doesn't like the way she talks to him. Is she mocking him? Does she think she's in control here?

He groans then he pushes the tip of the knife into her thigh until it cuts a tiny hole in her dress. No blood, just a hole to show her who's in charge here. She clamps her mouth shut and looks at him in horror. Good.

"If you had stayed, I wouldn't have gone after that other girl. The other blonde, less pretty. If you hadn't left me, I wouldn't have needed her," he explains.

Surprisingly, this confession scares her more than the knife, because the terror in her eyes seems to grow. He feels better. He's enjoying this so much that he adds: "I'm sure we'll have much more fun than I had with her. Oh, yes, we're gonna be so happy together, you'll see."

She swallows hard. "Just tell me one thing. Have we met before? Before Friday, I mean."

"No, that was the first time I saw you," he shrugs. "I didn't even know your name. But it was love at first sight. Don't tell me you didn't feel it, too," he says leaning closer to her and he's about to touch her cheek, but she suddenly hits the brake. He falls forward and nearly lets the knife fall. "What the hell-"

"Sorry, red lights, I had to stop" she smiles innocently. "I guess you want to keep a low profile, right?


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so here's a new chapter for you. And it's extra long this time :)  
After this we're gonna have only one more chapter plus an epilogue. But there might be a sequel ;)  
Enjoy!  
Again, I'd like to thank my beta, Phoebe Miller for the help and support.
> 
> Disclaimer: no, I don't own H50.

"What the hell is he doing? That crazy son of a bitch!" Steve yells as he sees Seito leaning towards Sophia two cars ahead of them and quickly passes a car to get closer to the vehicle they follow. Then the Toyota stops at the red lights just like all the other cars.

"Easy, easy," Danny says and puts a soothing hand on Steve's arm. "I thought we agreed not to engage yet."

"Yeah, but did you see it? Did you? He was about to attack her!" Steve snaps. He can't take his eyes off the blue car.

Danny sighs and takes a look around. There are four lines on the road, all of them full of vehicles. And the cars full of people. If they rush things and scare Seito, he might put others into danger, not just Sophia. They don't know too much about him, hell, they hardly know anything about the guy. Maybe he has some kind of evil masterplan he has been working on for days or longer. Maybe that car is full of explosives. They don't know what to expect of him. The guy is a dangerous wildcard.

He looks at his partner. He knows Steve knows this, too. And he knows given his personality, for Steve it's much harder to play the waiting game. He can see it in his eyes. The way he looks at the Toyota, like a predator waiting to attack. He just needs a tiny little sign that would give him permission to get into action.

Okay, Steve's always like this, but this is way too intense, even for him.

"Why do you care so much, huh?" Danny casually asks him.

Steve gives him a brief confused look before getting back to staring at the Toyota. "What do you mean? There's a murderer in that car with a girl he wanted to kill before. I think that's enough to care and worry. Don't you worry, too?"

"Yeah, sure, but I always worry, you know that. That's my role. But you on the other hand always stay calm. You do stupid things, sure, have crazy plans, of course, but you remain calm. Unlike now. Why is that, I ask."

"I am calm," Steve shrugs but his knuckles are white as he grips the steering wheel. "I would be even calmer, though, if we already had that stupid bastard in custody!"

He suddenly changes lane to get a little bit closer to the old blue car.

Danny braces himself. "A little warning next time would be nice."

Steve is obviously everything but calm. They both fall silent for a few minutes as the endless lines of cars slowly roll on the road.

Danny remembers when they first saw Sophia Sullivan. She was running in the pouring rain and while he was mad for getting drenched, there was something entirely different in Steve's eyes. His eyes were full of concern and not because of them getting soaked. And back then Seito was nowhere near Sophia.

"Oh, now I know," Danny suddenly says and grins.

"What do you know?" Steve asks not bothering to look at him. "A way to finally end this?"

"No, not that. I know why you care so much."

Steve groans. "Like I said, murderer and possible victim," he points irritated at the Toyota.

But Danny ignores him and goes on to explain his theory, his hands flying all over. "She moved from Hawaii, right, estranged from her father who stayed back here, and then the father died before they could have reconciled. So she decides to move back here, takes over her father's legacy. It would have been much easier to move on with her life, but no, she decides to stay to atone for the past. Even though she didn't do anything wrong. Sounds familiar?" he looks to Steve triumphantly.

Steve moves uncomfortably in his seat and looks away. "I don't know what you're talking about, man."

"Doesn't matter, I know I'm right. And it's okay that you care for her. We're catching that dumbass, don't worry," Danny says gently and pats his partner's arm. "Sophia's a smart girl. Remember how she ran away from Seito behind the club. Then when he found her, she kept cool and had a great idea to drop her coffee so that she could call for help. She's a badass, man, I'm telling you."

Steve remains silent but finally nods.

~

"Okay, there'll be a side-road on the right soon. Turn in," Seito orders Sophia.

"Where are we going?" she asks trying to keep her voice casual.

"Well, my uncle has a little cabin in the mountains. Cute place, you're gonna love it," he viciously smiles.

He acts as if she's his girlfriend who he takes for a little vacation. As if forcing her to come along and pointing a knife at her all the time would be absolutely normal. This person is crazy. A psychopath.

She sighs and turns right as she was told. She keeps looking to the rearview mirror hoping a police car appears any minute. She told the barista (his name is Rico, if she remembers correctly) to call 911. Yeah, she had to whisper so that this madman (whose name she doesn't even know) wouldn't hear her, but she thinks she was clear enough and Rico understood. Maybe he didn't.

Because it shouldn't take this long to find them. Okay, this idiot might have got rid of their phones, but the barista must have seen them leaving with this car. This moron parked pretty close to the café. The police could use the traffic cameras to locate them. Maybe this car is not as flamboyant as hers but they should be able to find it. Any minute would be good now. Really.

Because if they get to that damned cabin, she might never be found. In a remote place in the mountains? In the middle of the jungle? He could probably have his fun with her for weeks, months, even for years. She would be just another missing person, a long forgotten face in a police file on a dusty shelf. No one would miss her. No one would push the police, the people to keep looking. No one would start a search campaign.

But maybe she deserves this. For not helping stop this freak when she had the chance. And a girl had to die because of her. Emily Hino. She will never forget her name. Or her face that she saw in the many articles she read after those guys from Five-0 had come to her.

Yeah, this must be some kind of cruel punishment for her selfishness. Because she let her personal problems stop her from doing the right thing. This psycho told her himself that he had killed Emily because Sophia had got away from him.

Maybe she should have stayed that night. Her suffering wouldn't have lasted as long as it probably will in that cabin, and most importantly this crazy man wouldn't have killed Emily. And now she gets what she deserves.

She takes another look to the rearview mirror. Just one last time, she promises to herself. Because it's pointless anyway. No one comes for her.

But then she sees a familiar car two vehicles behind them. She needs a minute to realize why it looks so familiar. Yes, this is the black Camaro that was in the lot by the gazebo where those Five-0 guys waited for her. It was the only car in the lot. Not a surprise, though, the weather was awful.

But no, this is impossible. There must be several cars like this on the island. Even from green Lambos there are a few on Oahu, and hers is a much more unique car than this. This must be a coincidence. If these were the same guys, they would come with flashing lights all over, not incognito like this.

Maybe it's just a sign. A sign to encourage her to fight and not to give up just yet. It's not over yet. It can't be. Dying won't bring Emily back and won't solve her problems. She can do that only if she's alive.

She takes a look around to figure out what she could do to stop this madness. To stop this psychopath next to her.

And then she notices a construction site by the road a little bit ahead of them, on the right side. There are a few trucks parking in front of the site. The last one of them is a concrete mixer truck. A huge piece of metal. It'll do. It has to.

Before she could change her mind she speeds up the car.

"What the hell are you doing?" the man next to him yells. "Slow down, bitch!"

From the corner of her eye she can see the knife in his hand getting closer and closer to her. She doesn't care. When they reach the truck, she quickly jerks the steering wheel to the right.

There's a sickening sound as metal crashes into metal. Then… only silence.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's the new chapter. Let me know if you like it :) Enjoy!
> 
> I'd like to thank my beta, Phoebe Miller for the help and support.
> 
> Disclaimer: no, I don't own H50.

When Steve sees what’s happening in front of them, he abruptly hits the brake. The Camaro halts with screeching tires.

Shocked, Steve and Danny stare at the Toyota for a long moment, and then they jump out of the car with their guns in their hands. They carefully walk up to the wrecked car. They both order people to stay in their cars and tell the workers who come out of the construction site to stay back, too.

Steve reaches the blue car first and peeks in. When he sees Sophia alive, he lets out a breath he doesn’t remember he’s been holding. But as he takes in the situation in front of him, he realizes he can’t relax just yet. 

Yes, Sophia is very much alive but now holds the man next to him at knifepoint, fully turning towards him in her seat. She has probably managed to grab his knife from him after the crash. What did Danny say about her? She’s a badass. He’s right.

However, there couldn’t have been such a big fight. Seito is out cold in his seat, and there’s blood covering most of his face. There’s blood on the dashboard, too, probably where his head hit it at the crash. For some reason, none of the airbags exploded. 

Steve quickly looks at the steering wheel checking for blood marks. He can’t see any, so he hopes Sophia didn’t hit her head.

On the other hand, it’s distressing that even minutes after the crash Sophia is still holding the knife quite determined in her shaky hands, even though Seito is clearly unconscious. Or dead.

Steve can see Danny cautiously climbing into the small space between the truck and the car. Steve steps closer to Sophia’s side to speak to the obviously shocked woman.

“Hey, Sophia, are you alright? Are you injured?” he calmly asks. 

She doesn’t look at him, just shakes her head and can’t turn away from the motionless body beside her.

“I’m glad,” Steve continues and forces a small smile into his voice that he hopes would reassure Sophia. “It’s okay. You can give me the knife now. It’s over.”

She doesn’t react. The knife wavers in her hand.

Danny’s gun appears next to Seito’s head on the other side of the car.

“Detective Williams is now taking care of him, don’t worry,” Steve goes on. “You can give me the knife, Sophia. Please.”

There’s a long minute of silence while Steve and Danny wait for Sophia to move. And she finally does. She slowly turns away from Seito and holds out the knife towards Steve without looking at him.

“Thank you,” Steve says and puts the knife into his pocket. Then he opens the car door and reaches his hand to help Sophia out. 

On the other side of the vehicle Danny checks Seito’s pulse, then slaps his face to rouse him. He might also call him names, but Steve doesn’t really listen right now. In the meantime the street is flooded by police cars and an ambulance also arrives.

Sophia hesitates but decides to accept the reached hand as she slowly gets out of the car. Steve watches her with concern. She stares at her feet and her whole body is shaking.

“Hey, are you sure you’re alright?” Steve gently asks. He would love to touch her chin and raise her head to look into her eyes but he thinks this would be a far too intimate move. So he waits.

The medics arrive to examine Seito who’s still in the car. Steve hears them making a conversation with him, so he must be conscious now.

“You did good, Sophia,” Steve says because he just can’t wait any longer for her to speak. “What you did was incredibly irresponsible, but you did stop this son of a bitch,” he smiles.

“But I was too late,” she says and looks up to him. Her face is pale, stained with tears and there’s a little blood on her forehead. So she did hit her head, too. “If I had filed the report last Friday, the police could have found him before he killed Emily Hino. She would be still alive. And now… I have to live with that.”

“Sophia, you can’t blame yourself for this madman’s actions. He killed Emily, it was his choice,” Steve protests but she waves him off and walks away on wobbly feet. “Sophia!” he tries again but she ignores him.

Steve sighs. The murderer is no longer on the loose. The hostage is alive and relatively well. Why does he feel so damned disappointed, though?


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here it is, the epilogue.  
I hope you enjoyed the ride, a big thank you to everyone for the comments and kudos!  
There might be a sequel coming up :)
> 
> I'd like to thank my amazing beta, Phoebe Miller for the help and support.
> 
> Disclaimer: no, I don't own H50. I wish.

It’s a beautiful morning on Oahu. The sun has just risen and a light breeze makes the palm trees dance along the beach. Due to the early hour the beach is not as crowded as usual, because most tourists like sleeping in during their vacation. However, there are some locals who have come here for an early run or walk.

But Steve McGarrett standing in the gazebo has eyes only for one person. A woman running fast along the coast. Her blond ponytail bounces to the speedy rhythm of her steps.

She reaches the end of the beach and – just as Steve expects – is about to turn around and run back to her starting point. But something prompts her to take a look around – maybe she feels his eyes on her.

She notices him, jogs towards the gazebo and looks up to Steve who welcomes him with his trademark wide grin. To his delight, she gives him a small smile in return.

“Commander, how can I help you?” she asks.

“No, no, that’s not why I’ve come,” he shakes his head amused.” And please, call me Steve.”

She nods and looks at him expectantly.

Steve takes a big breath and he turns serious. “Listen, Sophia,” he starts. “I know your life is all but perfect right now-“

“Yeah, I guess everyone knows who read all the stuff they write about me,” she cuts in bitterly.

“-and you may find it hard to believe, but I know what you’re going through,” Steve adds. Sophia gives him a cynical look but doesn’t interrupt him, so he continues. “I was born in Hawaii, too, but I also left this place as a kid. And I left behind my father. We didn’t have the best relationship, you know… Anyway, some years ago he was killed. And I couldn’t prevent it, when I got back, it was already too late… and then I decided to stay here. I accepted the governor’s offer to run a task force on the island. As my dad was a detective at HPD, I thought this was the right thing to do. To continue his legacy.”

Sophia sighs and looks away. The tears in her eyes that she desperately tries to blink away tell him that she understands the similarities between their stories.

“It wasn’t easy,” he adds.” God, it was so damned hard. To start everything anew, to deal with the memories and the guilt... I’m not saying I didn’t have regrets. Sometimes I just wanted to give up and run away from it all. And I know it would’ve been even harder if I didn’t have some people to rely on. A few old friends, but mostly new people who I got to know after I had come back here.”

Sophia looks down at her feet. Steve doesn’t know if she just wants to hide her tears or wants him to stop and let her leave. He decides to take a risk and goes on. “I just want you to know, Sophia that you don’t have to deal with everything on your own. Losing your dad, starting a new chapter in your life, and then this shit with Seito… no one should deal with all that alone. You shouldn’t deal with this alone.”

Sophia looks up to the ocean and wipes off her tears with her sleeve.

Steve sighs. “Sophia, I just hope that you found friends to help you get through this. I really hate that you’re all alone in this. And… I really want to help you. If you don’t want it, that’s okay. But if you think I could help, please give me a call, alright?”

Sophia is still staring at the ocean without saying a word. As if she’s somewhere else. Steve can’t help wondering if she listened to him at all or she’s so deep in her own thoughts that she didn’t hear a word.

But then she turns to him and forces a small smile on her face. “Thank you, Steve,” she says. 

Then she steps out of the gazebo and starts running back along the coast.

THE END


End file.
